SANTA FE – State Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn said Monday he has not yet decided what he will do after he leaves his job on Aug. 12.
Flynn, whose departure was announced by Gov. Susana Martinez on Friday, issued a statement in response to an online report that he will become head of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association.
“I am honestly going to consider all of my options, and make the decision that’s best for me and my family once I officially leave state government,” Flynn told the Journal.
The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, which promotes oil and gas development – including lobbying the Legislature on industry-related issues – has been looking for a new chief executive since announcing in April that President Steve Henke will retire Sept. 1.
Cliff Brunson, president of BBC International Inc., in Hobbs, who chairs NMOGA’s board, said the organization hasn’t decided yet on a successor to Henke.
“We are talking to several people, but we have not named a replacement yet,” he told the Journal . He declined to identify the prospective candidates, but said he hopes the decision will be made this month.
Flynn, a 38-year-old lawyer, has been with the Martinez administration since the governor took office in 2011. He was general counsel for the Environment Department until 2013, when he was appointed secretary.
The governor, who praised Flynn’s leadership of the department, didn’t say why Flynn was leaving. He was quoted in her announcement as saying he looked forward to spending more time with his family.
Deputy Environment Secretary Butch Tongate will serve as acting secretary after Flynn leaves.
